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Viaduct work won’t detour ferry traffic until 2011

When construction starts this year on replacing the Alaskan Way Viaduct, it will begin the reshaping of traffic flow along the downtown Seattle waterfront. Fortunately, the islanders who take state ferries won’t have to worry about major detours to the Colman Docks until mid-2011.

“For the first couple phases of construction, there’s not a lot change in how traffic gets to Colman Dock. They’ll still have access to Alaskan Way, although there will be some restrictions,” said Ron Paananen, WSDOT’s administrator for the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall replacement project.

Then Alaskan Way will closed between South Atlantic Street and South Royal Brougham Way by spring 2011 as construction continues on a new highway. “That will be the first big change,” Paananen said. That will cut off direct access for much of the ferry traffic coming from the south along Alaskan Way. Much of that traffic comes from South Atlantic Street.

Ferry traffic will then have two options: Either take an existing road beneath the viaduct, which will serve as a temporary detour to Alaskan Way, or a new East Frontage Road, which will be constructed between South Atlantic Street to Royal Brougham. Traffic can use the new Frontage Road to get to First Avenue South.

The road beneath the viaduct will serve as a detour until ferry traffic is diverted permanently down First Avenue South to Railroad Way South — which sneaks past the Triangle Pub and runs beneath the viaduct’s First Avenue ramps. The access point to Railroad Way will be reconstructed and traffic will use Railroad Way to feed back into Alaskan Way. That will be the main route for ferry traffic until the tunnel opens in 2015.

“There will signs along the route. And there always be the ways people find on their own to Colman Docks,” he said.

When construction begins on the estimated $1.9 billion deep-bore tunnel replacement in late 2011, Alaskan Way will be closed between Royal Brougham Way and South Jackson Street (the boring machine would start roughly at King Street on Alaskan Way).

Viaduct project planners and Washington State Ferries are in the early stages of planning. Still uncertain is when the city of Seattle will begin replacing the central seawall and how that will affect traffic, Paananen said.

This summer, WSDOT will start construction of two new side-by-side highways that will replace the southern mile of the viaduct between South Holgate and King Streets. In early phases of the $483 million project, crews will close one lane in each direction on First Avenue so they can disconnect the viaduct’s northbound and southbound ramps from First Avenue and extend them to Atlantic Street. Since about 60 percent of traffic on that stretch comes from the viaduct, removing the ramp connections will allow more room for detoured ferry traffic, he said.

In an average month, about 1,550 vehicles enter the Colman Docks during peak evening hours between 3 and 7 p.m, according to the Washington State Ferries. Paananen does not expect any delays to ferry traffic due to detours.

“Once it is stabilized in mid-2011, I think people will adjust,” Paananen said.

One challenge that remains is what to do on days during the peak season when ferry traffic queues from the Colman Dock to King Street. Extra traffic sometimes lines up under the viaduct, but that extra space will be lost when major construction starts next year.

Fortunately, the long queues form only about 10 to 12 days a year, Paananen said. No decisions have yet been made on how best to route them, but it could include allowing more access to the docks for traffic coming from the north.

There will be signs and e-mail alerts about route changes before they begin, Paananen said. Getting word to ferry commuters shouldn’t be difficult, he said. The ferry system operates an e-mail alert system and does a good job of posting signs on and around the boats, he said. “It’s a relatively easy crowd to capture,” he said.

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